The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-04-09
&" ALL JOLLY"

What Bill, Brave Ship-Boy, Brought
Away from the Wreck of the Mermaid
"Zip," the Captains Pet.
"We'll be driven ashore in less than
five minutes, and then may God have
mercy upon us, for the rocks will have
nonem
So muttercd through his clinched
teeth Gas he strained his eyes through
the binding spray to catch the dim
loom of the cliffs right ahead) the cap
tain of the trading brig Mermaid, home
ward bound to London from the Brazil
ian port of Pernambuco.
1t was indeed all over with the poor
old brig. Both her masts were gone,
her wheel and stccring-gear had been
carried away, and tremendous sea
was sweeping her straight toward the
widest and rockicst part of the south
west coast of England. For himself
Captain Barrett would have cared lit
tie, accustomed as he was to face every
kind of danger without flinching; but
his wife and her little girl were on
board along with him; and what was to
become of them?
Close by the captains side, clinging
as tightly as his benumbed and cramped
fingers would let him to the Jagged
stump of the mainmast (behind which
Mrs. Barrett and her child had been
placed for shclter), stood Bill, the cab
in-boy-a bright-eyed, curly-haired lit
tie fellow, barely ten years old. The
kind-heartcd captain had found him
wandering disconsolately about the
East India Docks, ragged and hungry;
and remembering the time when he
himself had been Just such poor and
friendless boy, had taken the forlorn
lad aboard the Mermaid, where he had
remained ever since.
Bill was much better off than most
ship-boys, for instead of being starved
and beaten, rs they usually were in
those rough days, he was made regu.
lar pet both by the captain and the
crew. But he was not their only IA
voritc, for Captain Barrett had brought
back from Brazil u queer little South
American raccOon, not much bigger
than a rat, and looking very like one
with its long, sharp snout and sleek
brown coat. All through the homcward
voyage, Zip, as the coon was called
was the chosen playmate of the sailors
who were never tired of running about
the forecastlc with him, or feeding hin
on pieces of softened biscuit. But now
when every man on board expected t.
be struggling for his life within few
minutes, poor Zip seemed likely to b,
left to take care of himself, and to have
but poor chance of escape.
Suddenly Bill was seen to leave hi
! place, and to pick his way like a rope
dancer across the rocking, reeling deck
, over which the furious sea broke ever
) moment in roaring waterfalls of foam
. One would hardly have thought the lit
tie cabin-bOy likely to possess an,
treasure for which he would care t,
risk his life; but it was plain enough
. that he did, for when he got back t
his place (after venturing down to tn
lower deck) he had something buttone
, up inside his jacket, of which he seem
/. ed t. be very careful indeed.
He was barely in time, for scarcel
had he caught hold of the broken ma;
4. once more when the doomed vessel wa
:, nddenly whirled upward on the ere:
=, Of an enormous wave, as if she were b,
i lag flung up into the very sky. The
= she flew forward with amazing swift
!, ness, and a tremendous crash W;
. heard as her bow was driven hard an
= East betu cen two low jagged rocks.
. The sock threw all on board {
ueir Zee, and they Clurg in desper